Ever since Oakland sent (potentially) two first-round picks to Cincinnati in order to acquire Carson Palmer, there's been a fierce debate about whether or not they paid too much.

One of the reasons for concern is that many a pundit believes Palmer lost some the zing off his throw. An elbow surgery injury in 2008 coincides with the last time he averaged more than seven yards per attempt as well an obvious decline in production; his numbers in 2009 and 2010 aren't close to his 2005 and 2006 numbers, when he was arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

But Hue Jackson, the man who green-lit the deal to acquire Palmer, isn't trying to hear any of that business. In fact, he says Palmer's slinging the rock around like it was the good old days.

The Kansas City Chiefs will battle the Oakland Raiders this Sunday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Which team has the advantage? NFL.com's Pat Kirwan joins Jason Horowitz to preview this AFC West matchup. Watch the game at 4:05 PM ET on CBS.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," Jackson said about the speculation that Palmer lost strength and velocity. "He’s throwing the ball like you wouldn’t believe. Trust me, if he’s out there -- I mean, we wouldn’t have signed him if he couldn’t throw.

"I get surprised at those kinds of questions because I would never put the guy on the team or [trade] draft picks like that if he couldn’t throw the ball or he could not do or be what I think he has the potential to be."

Of course, everyone else is surprised because it seemed obvious that Palmer's skills declined after his elbow injury. And because Jackson gave up big-time draft picks in order to land him.

It might not matter; Palmer's an upgrade over Kyle Boller if he goes under the knife tomorrow. And as bad as everyone feels for Jason Campbell, Palmer's an upgrade over him too, even though he missed the first six weeks of the season.

But none of that is important -- Palmer can throw for 4,000 yards, or he can throw for 400, but if the Raiders don't make the playoffs this year or next, after giving up the pair of picks they did, then they lost the deal.

We also preview the rest of the Week 7 action before having weekly guest Paul Bessire of PredictionMachine.com stop by to offer up some expert advice on -- you guessed it -- accurately predicting this week's winners.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan seems unconcerned when his players -- including team captain, Santonio Holmes -- publicly pointed fingers at assistant coaches and each other when the offense sputtered, perhaps because Ryan's shtick is as much about brashness and bravado as what actually takes place on the field for 60 minutes each week.

During his first two years in New York, the Jets twice made it to the AFC Championship Game. This season, Rex's troops are 3-3, partly because the offense looks lost and the defense isn't as formidable as it once was. And while it may have no bearing on how the team performs, the sideshow distractions certainly can't help. The latest: Ryan telling reporters this week that "I think I would have had a couple rings" if he had gotten the Chargers' head coaching gig instead of Norv Turner.

That led the usually reserved Turner to wonder "if [Rex] had those rings with the ones he's guaranteed the last couple of years." (Norv throws down the mic, walks off the stage to a standing ovation.)

"It was me, it's all on me," he said. "I'm guilty. Absolutely … Obviously I wish this one never happened. It really was unintentional. I don't know what other word to use. I don't know what to even say."

Yes, because saying out loud "I think I would have a couple of rings" was an accident. It just slipped out.

(And look, we don't care that Rex said it, it's just weird that he's saying it was "unintentional." Backing over your kid's tricycle is an accident. Forming a thought and articulating it into words, for the media no less, is not an accident.)

After a dominant victory over the Dolphins on Monday night, the Jets look to repeat this week as they prepare to take on the San Diego Chargers. NFL.com's Pat Kirwan and Jason Horowitz preview this game. Watch the game Sunday on CBS at 1 PM ET. You can check out the Jets-Chargers Pregame here.

For the record: Norv has two Super Bowl rings -- both came as an assistant with the Cowboys. And Rex has one, when he was a defensive line coach with the Ravens.

Normally, if I just had one quote to add to an already completed post, I’d simply slap it on the top of the old post, bold it as an update, and continue on with my day.

But Chargers coach Norv Turner, when he heard about the comments Rex Ryan made Wednesday about how he’d have won a couple Super Bowl rings in San Diego if he’d been hired for the job in 2007, gave such a strong response, it deserved a post of its own.

So, here it is. Mr. Norv Turner, ladies and gentlemen:

"I hadn't seen his quote and I was a little bit surprised by the call. And then after I saw the quote, I didn't have a chance to ask him this, but I was wondering if he had those rings with the ones he's guaranteed the last couple of years."

Yowza for Turner, who I can’t recall ever getting off a zing this good (or a zing at all).

As we’ve seen in the past, Ryan doesn’t have a problem sending out barbs -- even, in this case, if he didn’t exactly mean to leave a mark. Now we get to see how he takes it when another coach is trashing him instead.

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"I hadn't seen his quote and I was a little bit surprised by the call. And then after I saw the quote, I didn't have a chance to ask him this, but I was wondering if he had those rings with the ones he's guaranteed the last couple of years."

Wow.

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Rex Ryan's a fiery guy. It also seems like he's the type of fella to hold a grudge; he makes no bones about the fact that he should have (in his mind) gotten the Ravens coaching job.

This is interesting because it says, quite obviously, that Rex believes he's a great coach. (In case you didn't know that.) But it also somehow manages to simultaneously insult his own team, the Jets, as well as the Chargers current coach Norv Turner.

Turner took over in 2007 and hasn't won a Super Bowl with the Bolts -- Rex seemed to imply that Norv misused a slew of talent and somehow failed to win a Super Bowl. Knock on Norv all you want for his coaching ability, but it's insane to think Rex is correct in assuming he'd have won "a couple" rings in that time frame.

The bigger question is whether he's trying to use this statement to motivate his own team -- they beat the Dolphins on Monday but didn't look good doing it, and they could certainly used some improved play if Rex wants a shot at getting started on "a couple rings."

For the first time in the Norv Turner era, the San Diego Chargers enter their sixth game of the season with a record other than 2-3. Now that the perennial power of the AFC West is finally living up to high expectations out of the gate, no one seems interested in acknowledging them.

That’s about to change. The Chargers’ matchup against the Jets is the only marquee game on an otherwise shabby Week 7 schedule. Below is a breakdown of that game and this very good San Diego team.

1. Norv Turner’s offenseSlow starts and a seemingly lax, bland personality have made Turner ripe for criticism over the years. But what no honest critic can deny is Turner has always been ahead of the offensive strategizing curve, particularly recently, as the Chargers have finished in the top five in scoring each year since he arrived.

Turner’s offense is unique. While the rest of the NFL is spreading out, the Chargers operate predominantly out of base personnel (two backs, two receivers and a tight end). Turner believes that you don’t need to align horizontally in order to attack vertically. The Chargers refer frequently to seven-step drops and dictate one-on-one matchups for their gazelle-like receivers by designing routes that go outside the numbers.

This tactic is fairly easy when Antonio Gates is in the lineup, as safeties are compelled to focus on him in the middle. When Gates is sidelined, as he’s been since Week 3, the receivers’ routes are inclined to develop more slowly, which forces the offensive line to elevate its play (blocking on a seven-step drop is not easy). San Diego’s front five has answered that challenge this season.

One-on-one matchups outside can also be commanded simply by lining up in base formations. With a line as powerful on the ground as San Diego’s, defenses are compelled to have a safety eye the running back, if not walk all the way down into the box. Otherwise, the Chargers can run with ease against a seven-man front. A preoccupied safety can’t offer viable help in coverage outside.

Long developing routes not only generate big plays (San Diego frequently finishes near the top of the league in 20-plus-yard passes), they also stretch a defense, which creates space for dumpoff passes to targets coming out of the backfield. Fullback Mike Tolbert (a surprisingly skilled receiver) and running back Ryan Mathews have combined for 48 catches this season, averaging over 10 yards per pop.

2. The personnel and matchupsThe Jets don’t mind the Chargers creating one-on-one matchups for their receivers. They’re used to that, in fact, given the way Darrelle Revis shadows the opposing team’s top wideout with no safety help. Expect Revis to blanket Vincent Jackson, and expect Vincent Jackson to see few balls come his way (Revis is coming off a two-interception performance, and the Chargers had no problem going away from Jackson when he was guarded by Champ Bailey two weeks ago).

This leaves Antonio Cromartie-Malcolm Floyd as the key matchup. Cromartie is built to defend downfield routes; he’s a long-striding runner who likes to track the ball in the air, rather than rely on physical jams and proper press technique. If he can handle Floyd one-on-one, the Jets are in business. Most likely, though, he’ll need some help.

With two corners who, for the most part, can match up to San Diego’s receivers, it will be interesting to see how New York defends the running backs underneath. The Jets indiscriminately integrate their linebackers and safeties into blitzes and zone exchanges. Rex Ryan will likely utilize those blitzes and zone exchanges given that even if the Jets can’t sack Philip Rivers, they can at least disrupt and discourage his seven-step drops. Thus, Jim Leonhard, Eric Smith, Bart Scott and David Harris could all take turns blitzing the passer and spying the backs.

3. Philip RiversOften, systems are only as good as the quarterback running them. The Chargers have one of the game’s best in Rivers. He is a perfect fit for Turner’s offense. The seven-step drops require a strong arm and the toughness to make throws with defenders bearing down on him.

Rivers has this – all in one package, in fact.

Thanks to his shot-put throwing motion, he does not need much room in order to throw. He can push the ball downfield without having to fully step forward or, obviously, wind up. Mentally, his focus when a hit’s on the horizon is as impressive as anyone’s in the game.

4. The run gameBecause Turner’s offense is built largely around manipulating the strong safety, it, more than most, thrives on run-pass balance. That’s why the Chargers traded up last season to draft Ryan Mathews in the first-round. After a disappointing, injury-filled rookie campaign, the first-rounder from Fresno State has started to blossom in recent weeks. Mathews has very fluid lateral agility, which makes him potent in space. The issue has been whether he can create his own space. Last season, he struggled to press the hole and break the line of scrimmage at full speed. That’s a sign of a runner thinking too much.

Mathews has corrected this. He seems to be reading defenses before the snap more than after the snap. As a result, he’s rushed for 98, 81 and 125 yards his last three outings. It helps that he plays with solid lead-blockers in Mike Tolbert and Jacob Hester, a mobile interior line, a capable road-grader like Marcus McNeil and arguably the game’s best left guard, Kris Dielman.

5. Other side of the ballSan Diego’s defense has been every bit as effective as the offense this season. Coordinator Greg Manusky has a very straightforward approach, often basing his tactics on the down and distance. With his corners playing so well and with this being a cohesive veteran unit, Manusky does not have to get cute in his approach.

Aside from the willowy Shaun Phillips, the Chargers don’t have a dominant pass-rusher, though Larry English and Antwan Barnes have both flashed occasionally this season. Still, Manusky is willing to blitz on third down, usually with a traditional inside linebacker who can give the Chargers a fifth pass-rusher to dictate that the speed guys face one-on-one matchups outside. The Jets’ floundering pass attack shouldn’t pose too much of a problem for the Bolts.

What might be a problem is New York’s run game. True, it has been stagnant this season. It’s starting to look like Shonn Greene’s ’09 postseason coming out party will also be the pinnacle of his career. But we’ve seen the Jets succeed before.

Or we could break down Hue Jackson calling it the "greatest trade in football." What?

"We were able to put together what I think is probably the greatest trade in football, in my opinion," Jackson said. "Obviously, I think everybody knows that we needed to go out and address our quarterback situation."

OK, look it was a great trade. And I don't mean "we bamboozled a team and got superb value" great, or "the biggest names in football involved blockbuster" great. I mean "where the hell did that come from and man that's crazy but they gave up WHAT?" great. That's great for the media and fans and blowing up everyone's Tuesday, but I'm not sure it's great for the Raiders.

We'll know that when Palmer gets on the field. Which leads us to wonder when, exactly, that will happen. Because Jackson was asked Tuesday if Palmer could start as early as Sunday versus the Chiefs, but declined to give an answer.

"You think I’m going to tell you that right now?" Jackson said to reporters on Tuesday. "You know me a little bit better than that. OK, you do try. All you guys try; I’m not going to let that out of the bag just yet but you guys be ready for anything from me. I think you know that.

"We’ll see as we continue to move through the week exactly where we are."

This weekend is a perfect time for the Raiders to have an impossible decision -- the Chiefs are 2-3, thanks to wins against the Colts and Vikings, are now just 2-3, and need this game badly to get back into the AFC West race.

Playing Kyle Boller will benefit them, and they'll probably end up getting to play against him -- expecting Palmer to be ready to start five days after being traded to Oakland just seems too crazy to be real.

But we also said the same thing about the Raiders trading for him in the first place.